Yosõ-gai no Kisu (An Unexpected Kiss)
by Yuuna Arashi
Summary: When Mori leaned away to look at her – with her brown eyes so round and so bright, filled with surprise, curiosity and confusion mixed altogether, and her lips parted slightly as if she was out of breath, and with her cheeks flushed a pretty pink – did she realize what had transpired between them. - A Mori & Haruhi story, takes places after the two seniors just graduated. Enjoy.


**Disclaimer**

I do not own Ouran High School Host Club; period. Enjoy this Mori & Haruhi oneshot!

* * *

 _ **Yosõ-gai no Kisu**_

* * *

The moment his ashen orbs had connected with her brown ones, the moment he had held her in his arms as he saved her from Tamaki's death embrace, the moment he was fully aware that Haruhi was actually a _girl_ , Mori somehow knew that from that day onwards, he would come to love her with all his heart.

…

About more than a year had passed since Haruhi had become part of the host club; she was now in her second year, together with the twins, and Tamaki and Kyouya were getting into their third and final year at Ouran Gakuen. It wasn't long after the two oldest members of the host club, Mori and Honey, had graduated. Occasionally, the both of them would come to visit the host club whenever they had free time in their university schedule, to join in hosting activities as per Tamaki's request. Kyouya had also believed that being hosted and entertained by college students would give more impact to the host club, but they all knew that it was more to increasing the club's profits, and to satisfy his money-making schemes for the club.

And it was on one of these visits that something unexpected had occurred between Mori and Haruhi.

…

It was a beautiful spring afternoon, with the sun shining its radiance brilliantly against the azure cloudless sky. The wind was blowing gently, rustling the leaves amongst the sakura trees, as a cascade of cherry blossom petals fluttered in the spring air, carrying with them their sweet intoxicating perfume. They floated and landed gracefully on top of the _'yarimizu'_ , travelling down the man-made stream through the garden threshold that houses beautiful azalea.

Haruhi had taken a breather from her current host club errand – she was sent to buy more commoner's instant coffee by Kyouya as their stock was dwindling fast – and she decided to make a short stop at one of the academy's garden. The garden wasn't far from the music room, so she thought it wouldn't jeopardize hosting hours since she had about an hour before club activities actually started. It was the same garden where they held the cherry blossom viewing banquet some time ago.

 _I wonder if Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai will come visit the host club today_ , she thought quietly as the soothing spring wind ruffled wisps of her hair, making it danced gracefully. Just recently, she came to realize that she liked having them around, especially the tallest of the two (though she wouldn't admit that part verbally), as they provided the normalcy that she desperately craved whenever the others proved challenging to handle by herself. She _also_ came to realize – even though she denied this fact vehemently – that she had developed an 'extremely' _itty-bitty_ crush on Mori, she didn't know when this had happened though, it just manifested by itself over this past year.

Haruhi had to admit, she was a rather dense and oblivious person when it came to matters pertaining the opposite sex. So, she was not quite aware about _what_ she felt or _why_ she felt that way, whenever her eyes lingered at her senpai a little too long (to be considered normal), or whenever he came to visit the host club with his cousin in his casual attire (in which she ended up checking him out with every chance she got) and not the academy's uniform that she was used to seeing for the past year.

She shook the thoughts of her senpai looking handsome in his casual attire from her mind. She had no time for this, as she convinced herself desperately _hundreds_ of times. Haruhi was a commoner, so she understood where she stood. She had no place in their world; a world that was vastly different from hers. She should just concentrate on her scholarship – it was why she came to Ouran Gakuen in the first place. She let out a melancholic sigh as she looked at the falling cherry blossom petals, tightening her hold on the brown paper bag that contained the commoner's coffee.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she did not hear him approached.

"Haruhi."

She whirled around, surprised to hear his voice so suddenly, and _so close_. She ignored the way how her heart palpitated when she caught sight of him, standing just a few feet away from her, in all his handsome glory, and tried desperately to make the blush that was threatening to surface on her cheeks, disappear.

"M-Mori-senpai," she coughed awkwardly and admonished herself for stuttering, "you startled me." Haruhi could feel her face starting to heat up again, and prayed that she was not making a fool of herself.

She chanced a glance towards her senpai. Today, Haruhi noted, he was wearing a dark sweater over a white button-up shirt, with the top two buttons left unbuttoned, and both sleeves were pushed up just before they reached his elbows, revealing his strong forearms. She absently wondered how it would feel like to be wrapped securely in those arms. _Stop it, Haruhi_. He also had a woolen scarf wrapped loosely around his neck.

"…No need for honorifics," he took a step closer and Haruhi wanted to take a step back but she was rooted to her spot as Mori held her gaze with his own, "I've graduated." He was standing right in front of her now, and the only thing that separated them was the brown paper bag held tightly in Haruhi's arms.

She did not trust her voice to speak, so she could only meekly nod in response, as a shy smile appeared on her face. It was an endearing sight to see on Mori's part, but he held his tongue to voice out his current thoughts about her – _about how he viewed her as a woman_. Mori was a man of few words after all.

A gust of wind blew by unexpectedly, and ruffled Haruhi's hair. Mori reached over and tucked the stray hairs behind her ear gently, carefully, all the while aware that Haruhi was staring at him with her wide, innocent guileless eyes that were laced with surprise and wonder, as her lips parted slightly in disbelieve. A blush dusted her cheeks at his unexpected action, and only intensified further as Mori cupped the side of her face in his calloused palm, running his thumb along the apple of her cheekbone. He took note of how Haruhi unconsciously leaned further into his touch, and instantly felt a longing pool in his lower abdomen as a spark ran down along his spine.

"You're cold, Haruhi." Mori dropped his hand, and Haruhi already missed his warmth, but she didn't dare voiced that thought out. He unwrapped the woolen scarf around his neck, the material sliding smoothly off his shoulders, and wrapped it carefully around her slender neck – not too tight until it suffocated her, not too loose until it fell off her delicate shoulders. She was lost for words due to his sudden attentiveness towards her, and dropped her gaze to the ground, because if she continued to stare into her senpai's steely grey eyes, she was afraid that she'd fall deeper into his hypnotic, yet piercing spell, that her _itty-bitty_ crush would turn into something she had no control of.

Mori still held both ends of the scarf in his hands, while looking down with a quiet affection at this petite woman in front of him, of the woman he fell in love with since this past year. He wanted to convey to her about his true feelings for her, about how much he loved her, how he would have risked his life just to keep her safe from harm's way. He wanted to tell her how envious he had felt when the others had held her so casually, and the only one who knew about how he actually felt for her, was his cousin, who told him to just man up and confess.

So, he decided to do just that. Even though he was a man of few words, he was also a man of action, and through his actions, he would convey to her how much she actually meant to him, how much importance she actually held in his life.

During this quiet interaction, Haruhi came to a conclusion that she let her defenses down so _easily_ around Mori, unlike the others, and when he leaned down to plant a gentle yet brief kiss upon her lips, as the flurry of cherry blossom petals flew about them in a frenzy yet graceful dance, she did not have time to react to what was actually happening. Only when Mori leaned away to look at her – with her brown eyes so round and so bright, filled with surprise, curiosity and confusion mixed altogether, and her lips parted slightly as if she was out of breath, and with her cheeks flushed a pretty pink – did she realize what had transpired between them.

Mori leaned completely away from her, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips and fondness towards her portrayed in his eyes.

"I'll see you in club, Haruhi."

Haruhi could only watch, utterly speechless, as Mori walked back the way he came from and made his way to the music room, carrying with him the brown paper bag that contained the commoner's coffee. She didn't even realize when he took it from her hands as her legs gave out from beneath her, having lost all energy to stand anymore and lay sprawled on her side on the ground, her face turning all shades of crimson amidst his scarf that was wrapped securely around her now burning face.

…

Mori walked into the music room with a brown paper bag held in one arm, and the other hosts greeted him, with Honey waving cheerfully towards his cousin. As he was walking towards the kitchenette, Tamaki stopped him with a question.

"Where have you been, Mori-senpai?" Tamaki asked inquisitively. "You'd usually arrived together with Honey-senpai."

Mori stopped to think for an answer, he didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to tell the truth either. He actually _did_ come to the academy together with his cousin, but when he caught a glimpse of Haruhi in the garden while on their way to the music room, he stopped in his tracks to look at her. Honey had followed his gaze, and understanding dawned on him instantly. So, with a little push and an encouragement nod from Honey, Mori had found his way towards her.

"I had some matters to settle earlier." He left it at that, and it seemed that Tamaki took it without further question. Although, it looked like Tamaki wanted to inquire further about the contents of the brown paper bag as well, but he dropped it at the end. Mori took that cue to go into the kitchenette to deposit the items from the brown paper bag he took from Haruhi earlier.

As he placed the last jar of instant coffee into one of the shelfs, he recalled the way Haruhi had looked after he briefly kissed her. Her wide brown eyes, so innocent, and so pure, spoke volumes about how she felt about the kiss. Mori knew she was confused, curious even, and he vowed to convey his true feelings to her in time. Was it too much to hope that she'd feel the same way too?

…

Just 10 minutes before hosting activities started, the door to the music room opened quietly from the outside and in came Haruhi who still had Mori's scarf wrapped around her neck. The others, except Mori and perhaps Kyouya as well, had zeroed in on the article. Tamaki and the twins were _sure_ that Haruhi didn't have any scarf when she went out on her errand earlier, so where did she get that? Honey, however, knew who that scarf belonged to, and he was secretly overjoyed.

"Sorry I'm late, Kyouya-senpai," she muttered quietly, just loud enough for Kyouya to hear. She didn't bother to hear his reply, and went straight to the kitchenette to bring out the tea trolley which was already filled with teacups and various pastries and small cakes. Haruhi was awfully glad she got the tea trolley ready before she went out to do her errand, otherwise she would have required a little bit of time to prepare everything, which meant time wasted in Kyouya's definition. But that didn't mean she was ready to go out of her safe haven just yet.

Her eyes landed on the jars of instant coffee in the shelf that weren't there before she left, and she instantly remembered what had occurred just moments ago. Well, it _felt_ like moments ago. She could still feel the gentle press of his lips as she glided a finger over hers, she could still remember the ghost of a smile that had appeared on Mori's handsome face, and she could feel the blush that was threatening to resurface all over again. She shook her head vigorously, trying her hardest to get rid of the blush that had already appeared on her cheeks, but try as she might, she couldn't, as the memory from earlier had permanently etched itself into her mind (and in her heart).

Haruhi ran her fingers absentmindedly along the scarf, caressing the woolen material beneath her fingertips with featherlike touches. She gathered it in her hands and took a whiff of its scent – it smelled of masculinity, muskiness, and spice, with a hint of minty aftershave – it smelled like Mori.

 _What did he mean by that kiss?_ Haruhi wondered silently, digging to the deepest parts of her brain for answers, though she knew she would come up with none. She unwrapped his woolen scarf from around her and placed it carefully on the hook behind the kitchenette's door. Was it better to ask him, to confront him about it? She knew she wouldn't have the courage to do so, not when he caught her off-guard like that. Was it better to just ignore what had transpired between them? That thought alone sent a sharp pang to her heart, she didn't like the idea of not knowing what it meant. So, how should she go about this?

She was frustrated with herself, she wasn't really well-versed in this… this _thing_ between them, whatever it was. She let out another melancholic sigh, she had to let this off her mind for the meantime. Hosting activities was about to start.

…

 _ **Hosting hours in session~**_

Haruhi gritted her teeth together, as she forced what she had hoped to be a decent hosting smile towards the host club's patrons for that afternoon. She kept reminding herself that she needed to be a good host, as there were ladies to entertain, tea and coffee to be served, and cakes to be laden in front of the lovely guests.

If she failed at her job, she knew she would get an earful from Tamaki about the proper etiquette of a good host. She did not want to hear about that right now because the last time it happened, it took an hour for Tamaki to rant continuously without stopping to take a breather. Haruhi did _not_ wish to live through that for a second time, thank you very much. She also knew that Kyouya would most probably admonished her, and in turn raised a sum of her never-ending debt. She did not want that to happen either.

To put it simply, she was distracted, _immensely_ distracted. She could feel Mori's gaze burning at the side of her face, but she chose to ignore it. Well, at least she _thought_ he kept staring at her. Was this another test by God? Her patience was running dangerously low, but she tried not to let her face betrayed what she actually felt inside.

She was currently serving the small cakes from the tea trolley on Mori and Honey's designation table, as per Honey's request, while trying her very best to act normal, well, as normal as she could be. She didn't have customers to serve at the moment, so she was going around the music room delivering beverages and desserts to the other hosts, and now she was here. It was inevitable.

Haruhi really wanted to ask Mori about that kiss earlier, she felt an itch to just ask him straight out on what that was about. However, seeing that there were still guests around, she kept her mouth shut and tried her best to ignore him, and as much as she wanted to ignore him _completely_ , she _couldn't_. Just being in this close vicinity with Mori was nearly driving her insane – there was a spark between them, she could feel it, but she didn't want to make the assumption that this was only one-sided from the very beginning.

"Haru-chan," Honey called, glancing up at Haruhi from his seat as he looked at her with concern, " _daijoubu_?".

Haruhi briefly paused to look at Honey, her mind reeling with so many things at once, she wanted to collapse. But then her lips lifted at the corners as she revealed her signature natural smile, "I'm fine, Honey-senpai. Can I get anything else for you?" At the negative shake of his head, Haruhi turned towards Mori. She stared at him briefly for a few seconds, trying her hardest to gauge his thoughts as he returned her gaze. Most of the time she could read him easily, but now, she found that she couldn't, and that had _frustrated_ her.

Mori saw the question reflected clearly in her brown eyes. He wanted to respond, or at least ask her what was wrong, though he had an inkling feeling what those questioning eyes wanted from him. But this was not the place to do it, not in front of these curious onlookers. As much as he didn't mind what they would think, he didn't want to create unnecessary attention towards him, and especially not towards his Haruhi.

She saw the concern amidst his steely grey ones, but decided that it _might_ just be her imagination – although, it was more like she desperately convinced herself that it was her imagination. _Mori-senpai must've been tired earlier and that was why he kissed me_ , her eyes dimmed considerably at that thought, as they lost her usual brightness. Haruhi tore her gaze away from Mori, and with a nod, she moved away from their designation table.

Honey felt his cousin turned slightly rigid at his side, his posture was tensed, and this had set off alarms in his head. Had something occurred between Mori and Haruhi in those few seconds? However, that didn't make any sense, unless… Though, he knew right now was not the time to ask questions – he had to maneuver any unnecessary attention that might befell his cousin due to his sudden change in behavior. Even though the change was almost imperceptible to the human eye, Honey would not want to risk any chances.

…

Hosting activities were over for the day, and Haruhi had retreated to the kitchenette to clean the teacups and silverware they had used earlier, being careful to handle the fragile china in her absentmindedness. She didn't feel like conversing with anyone in particular, so she let out this aura that warned any passersby to avoid her at all cost.

The other men took notice of this, Mori and Honey included. The twins knew better than to disturb her when she was in one of those moods, unless they wanted to feel her wrath. They poked their heads through the kitchenette's door with a "Haruhi, we'll be going now," and left after Haruhi waved at them dismissively. Identical amber-golden eyes stared at each other, wondering what was wrong with their best friend, and shrugged as they walked out of the music room. They could try prying it out of her – whatever it was – when she was in a better mood. When Kyouya saw Tamaki strode with a purpose towards the kitchenette, he grabbed the president by the collar and dragged him out of the music room, who protested violently, sputtering things such as "Haruhi needs comfort right now!" and "Who better to give it to her than I, her father?", however such remarks had fallen on deaf ears. Kyouya continued to drag him down the hallway, and out of the academy to their waiting limos. Honey could still hear Tamaki's whine; he was _that_ loud.

The absence of the sound of flowing water alerted the two cousins instantly. Honey looked up to his cousin, assessing the expression Mori currently wore on his face. The diminutive blonde noticed subtle lines of worry etched between the creases of his cousin's eyes. There was also a storm of emotions brewing within them. Honey felt sympathy for his cousin, as he knew how hard it was for the tallest of the two to express his feelings clearly, especially to the host club's secret princess. But no matter, Honey swore to himself to give as much encouragement as he could, and the push that his cousin clearly needed.

In the midst of his self-allegiance to bring his cousin happiness, Haruhi had walked out of the kitchenette, and stood at the doorway, surprise evidently plastered all over her face at their presence.

"Ah, Haru-chan! Are you finished?" Honey started, when he noticed, or rather _feel_ , the beginnings of subtle tension filling the air between Haruhi and his cousin. It was so thick, he could slice through it with a knife.

Haruhi glanced towards Honey immediately, opting to avoid Mori's steely gaze that she was sure was directed at her. "Yes," she answered, trying her best not to sound strained because really, she felt like she wanted to take flight and bolt out of the room. Why had she felt like wanting to run away though? She needed time alone to think, that was the sole reason (or so she'd like to desperately convinced herself to think that way). She thought all of the other members had already went home, and that would have given her ample of time to think things through and to rearrange her thoughts accordingly and rationally.

When Haruhi saw Mori took a step forward towards her in her peripheral vision, she subconsciously took a step back. Mori noticed this, and frowned, his jaw clenched together tensely as he stopped his movements altogether. He didn't want her to start running away, that wasn't what he intended. Honey was concerned, as he too noticed Haruhi's reactions, though subtle that may be. Before the diminutive senpai could utter a word out, his kohai had beat him to it.

"I-I need to get going," she said in a rush, chastising herself for stammering like a fool. She avoided their gazes completely, before walking quickly to retrieve her belongings and ran out from the music room, without even glancing back. If Haruhi _had_ looked back, she would have noticed the hurt reflected clearly in Mori's grey eyes.

Honey was frustrated, although, that wasn't exactly the right word to describe what he felt at that moment. It was time to take this matter into his own hands. He knew how Haruhi felt about his cousin, he could see it clearly in her eyes, even though she was desperately trying to deny it. Honey wanted to see him happy, and if Haruhi was the girl he chose as his future bride, he was going to give his cousin the encouragement and courage he terribly needed in order to finally convey, and thus, confess, his feelings to her.

He gave Mori a hard slap on the back, just enough to get him out of his current stupor, and it caused Mori to have his breath knocked out of his lungs, nearly collapsing to the floor on his knees. The tallest of the two turned wide-eyed at his cousin, completely surprised with his sudden physical outburst. Honey quirked up an eyebrow at the 'WTF was that for?' expression on Mori's face. It wasn't often to see his cousin display such emotion on his face so visibly.

"Takashi, run after Haruhi."

It was a simple order, but Mori knew the underlying messages behind it. He knew Honey didn't just want him to run after Haruhi, he wanted him to convey how he actually felt about her, to make her see that what he felt was genuine. Honey wanted Mori to make the host club's secret princess understand his honesty and his passion towards her. Honey wanted Mori to make Haruhi see that he was serious about her, before everything is shoved behind closed doors.

Mori searched for something in Honey's golden caramel eyes, to which the diminutive blonde simply softened his gaze towards his loyal cousin, and nodded in approval and encouragement.

"I'll be fine, Takashi. I have Reiko-chan, remember? Now, go. Chase after your happiness, before it's too late to get a hold of her. You need to tell her clearly how you feel, okay? Convey it to her properly. Be honest with your words, I know you can do this."

"…Arigatou, Mitsukuni." He knelt down on one knee in front of his cousin, and bowed his head as a sign of loyalty, allegiance and gratefulness.

With those parting words, Mori took off down the hallway as fast as his strides could take him, searching frantically for a mop of brunette hair belonging to a petite figure that he was so familiar with. He took a look at his watch and noted it was forty minutes past five in the evening, most of the students of the academy, if not all, would have been gone by now. It was always the host club members who were the last to go home. Mori followed the route in which Haruhi would likely have taken, praying hard to every deity that existed in the world for her to still be in the academy.

Just when he thought that all hope was lost, he spotted her down the flight of stairs leading to the main hallway of the academy. He picked up his stride, he had to catch up with her before she leaves the academy. Even though he knew he would be able to come back tomorrow to see her, or maybe even drop by to her apartment if he was left with no other choice, Mori still wanted to talk to her right now, because if he didn't, he would have wasted the courage and encouragement that his diminutive cousin had given to him.

" _Haruhi!_ "

At the sound of the voice belonging to the person who she grew to love – yes, she finally admitted that she had fallen in love with him – Haruhi stopped dead in her tracks. Adrenaline rushed in her veins, her brain screaming at her to take flight, but her legs refused to listen as they rooted her to the ground. Was it her imagination, or did she detected an urgency when he called her name? She heard him stopped, probably a few feet away from her, but she didn't turn around to affirm it.

"Haruhi," he called her again, this time softer. He didn't know how to start; words were not his forte. It was getting more difficult to voice out what he wanted to say to her. "I…" he tried again. What happened to the confidence that he got earlier when he kissed her? Where did it go?

"If…" Haruhi suddenly said, her back still faced towards him, "If there's nothing else, Senpai, I'd like to g–,"

"Can we talk… somewhere? I… have something important I need to tell you." Mori interrupted anxiously before she could finish what she wanted to say. His posture was tensed, his fists balled tightly at his sides, nails digging into the palms of his hands, leaving crescent marks in their wake. He didn't want her to leave. Not yet. Not until he managed to tell her the things he wanted to convey to her.

It took a little while for Haruhi to reply, as she contemplated whether to take this chance to listen to what he had to say, or just leave. However, the latter option was too cruel in her own honest opinion, that wasn't like her. She also noted the anxiety in his voice, as Mori and anxiety rarely come together at the same time. He was always the calm and collected senpai she respected immensely. The rational choice Haruhi should take was to listen to him, and that was what she decided to do after some thought, and while she was making her decision, Mori was restlessly anticipating her answer.

"…Okay," she murmured quietly, without turning around. "Please… lead the way, Mori-senpai."

Relief washed over Mori like a blessing heavy rain falling on a deserted island left for drought. He would not have known what to do if she had chosen to leave – maybe chased after her, but he didn't want to appear desperate. Morinozuka men were not raised to be desperate, as they had honor and pride running proudly in their blood and veins. They do not rush things, but tackle them one at a time. Mori took a deep breath to expel the anxiety from his system. What he needed right now was a calm heart and a calm mind.

He had led them outside, to the pristine and well-kept gardens of the academy. The journey took a while as they walked silently; Mori at the front, with Haruhi a few feet behind him. Both of them were quiet, no words were exchanged with their thoughts kept solely to themselves, each wondering what the other party was thinking about. The sky was already blanketed by a pinkish orange hue, as the sun began to set over the horizon, basking them in the remnants of the day's warmth.

Haruhi's eyes – hesitantly at first – had roamed freely against the expanse of her senpai's broad back, she followed the contours of his shoulders, gradually dragging her gaze to the curve of his sides, absently wondering how it would feel like if she encircled her arms around him from behind.

"If you keep looking at me like that," he murmured suddenly in the stillness of the dusk, while still walking ahead of her, "I wouldn't know how to respond."

" _I'd want to sweep you in my arms and kiss you senseless_ ," he corrected in his mind.

Haruhi froze. Her face becoming dangerously overheated from being caught staring at him. She lowered her head in mortification. _He knew! He knew I was staring! Does he have eyes behind his head or something?!_

They continued to walk in silence after that, with Mori sporting a small amused smile, and Haruhi still feeling embarrassed from being caught.

…

Across the bridge of the ' _yarimizu_ ', through the aromatic wisteria arches, beyond a garden of crimson camellias, was a secluded alcove beneath a cherry blossom tree. Haruhi didn't even know such a place existed in the academy. How did Mori find this fairy-tale-like place? Although she had a feeling that it might be the Headmaster's doing – as he had a fondness for all things Japanese. Even though it was nearing night time, Haruhi could see the beauty this garden held in its entirety as the lanterns lined along the path illuminated the area with their ethereal brilliance. They came to settle at the alcove as they sat across from each other, Haruhi's eyes roamed around the garden absently. For a moment, she forgot her main purpose of coming to this place, until Mori called her name.

"Haruhi," he murmured her name with a quiet affection rolling off his tongue, and her brown eyes flickered to meet his gaze. He held her gaze with his own, asking her silently through his eyes for her not to look away. He needed her to see the sincerity he held in them.

 _I can't look away even if I wanted to_ , Haruhi thought silently as she felt her heart beginning to beat erratically. She could feel her face beginning to warm, and she was glad the darkness outside had concealed her current state.

"I… am not good with words," Mori began, his voice so quiet and low. She noticed the presence of a slight quiver in his tone, the tell-tale signs of his nervousness showing through (and Haruhi found that part of him _adorable_ ). "But I needed to tell you something important," he continued, his breath slowing down to calm himself.

"For this past year, since the day I found out you were actually a girl, I had an overwhelming need to keep you safe from any sort of danger, like I did with Mitsukuni. I am aware that you are capable of taking care of yourself, but I felt a sense of duty to protect you, not in the sense of you needing my protection, no, but that _I_ had wanted to, and I _still_ do. At the beginning, I didn't understand why I had the urge to keep you safe from harm's way, but now _Haru_ , now I can honestly say that I already know _why_."

It was probably an unconscious thing on his part, but when he called her 'Haru', a swarm of butterflies had invaded her stomach, making her flushed with warmth even though the night breeze that blew by was prickly cold against her skin.

Mori stood up from his seat, and Haruhi – with her eyes round and bright – followed his every movement, until he knelt right in front of her. She felt her own breath stopped, this close proximity between them was doing odd things to her. Her breath then hitched when he took her hands and enclosed them in his own dearly, spreading his own warmth to her through this small connection.

"Senpai…?" she uttered quietly, her voice slightly shaky from nervousness and anticipation as minutes ticked by without him saying a word, only to continue clasping her hands in his gently like they were made of fragile glass. She wanted to ask him why he kissed her earlier, but she found that her voice wouldn't come out. So she kept quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"…I didn't kiss you earlier because I was tired, Haruhi." A small smile appeared at the corner of his lips at his own confession to her, and her heart swelled at the sight of it, but at the same time, a blush flourished on her face after knowing the truth behind the kiss.

The blush on her face only deepened further when Mori held the palm of her left hand against the side of his face. "I kissed you," he murmured, as he planted a kiss on her palm, his steely grey eyes still holding her gaze while his other hand held her right hand firmly, "because I wanted to. For so long now."

Then he moved to kiss each finger on her left hand tenderly, the touch of his lips against her fingertips was like the caress of a feather. "I kissed you," he entwined his fingers of his left hand with her right, as he moved to kiss under her left wrist, just above the veins where he could feel the thumping of her heart against his lips, "because I want you to be mine, Haruhi."

Her eyes grew wide at his confession.

"I kissed you," he uttered again, this time in a whisper, as he ran his thumb along the apple of her cheekbone, while cupping her face in his palm. His eyes turned tender with affection, and Haruhi's glistened with brimming tears, "because _I love you, Haru_. I have loved you since this past year."

Finally, Mori _finally_ told her the three important words he had wanted to tell her for so long now. He felt the weight on his shoulders had lifted and being swept away in the cold night breeze.

Haruhi placed her hand over Mori's that was cupping her face still, and blinked her tears away rapidly. One tear escaped, and Mori reflexively wiped it gently with his thumb.

"Haruhi…?" a silent question lingering in his voice, as his eyes searched for something in her brown ones.

"… _Why me, Takashi?_ " she asked, her voice so quiet in the night, yet he heard her crystal clear. It wasn't her intention to call him by his given name, but the current atmosphere had made it felt so right. She hoped that he would forgive her for using it without his consent. She didn't quite understand why he would fall in love with her, when there were more suitable suitors amongst the prestige families that resided in the academy.

Takashi's eyes slightly widened, and his heart skipped a beat as a spark travelled up his spine – the kind of spark that set fireworks off in his mind – making him shiver involuntarily. The moment his given name fell from her lips, it had sounded like the most melodious music in his ears, and he had the urge to make her call him that again. But now's not the time for that, he needed to tell her why she was the one he chose to be his _everything_.

"You're a strong woman, Haruhi, not in regards of how strong you are physically, but you are emotionally and mentally strong. I find that trait, as well as your intelligence, quite attractive. You have the kind of driving force that encourages other people to pursue their dreams, it was what made me chased after mine.

"I realized that I didn't have to follow Mitsukuni for all eternity, and that I didn't have to constantly be in his shadow. _You_ made me realized that. You're not quite aware of what effect you have on other people, do you?" A small smile appeared on his handsome face as he saw the look of slight disbelieve portrayed clearly on hers. At rare moments such as these, Haruhi can be quite an opened book.

"I… I don't know what to say…" she replied quietly, eyes cast downwards to their intertwined hands, still disbelieved over the fact that she was part of the reason he chose to move forward and seek his own path.

"It's okay," he simply said, and Haruhi could hear the rest of his thoughts as if he spoke them out loud, ' _you don't have to force yourself to answer me, it's enough that you understand._ '

They sat comfortably in silence after that, with Takashi still kneeling in front of her. Haruhi thought of Takashi's confession towards her, how he must've endured so much in order to keep his feelings a secret, and how it must've taken him so much courage to convey his feelings to her properly just now. With this, was it okay to tell him how she truly felt about him? Was it okay to fall in love with him without reserve? This kind of experience was new to her and Haruhi wasn't versed in relationship matters, but she wanted to dive into this ocean of emotions for his sake, and her own.

Haruhi leaned forward of her own accord, and without giving him a chance to react, she pressed her lips at the corner of his mouth – just a brief touch – before pulling away to gauge his reaction. Her cheeks flourished in a beautiful dusty rose as she gazed at him with unabashed pools of intense brown, resolve clearly reflected in her eyes as she answered his confession.

"… _Aishite imasu, Senpai_."

With a fluidity of a martial arts disciple and a gentleness of a silent protector, Takashi pulled Haruhi towards him, crashing their lips together. His hand moved to cradle her head tenderly, deft fingers combing through brunette locks as he angled his head slightly to kiss her better. There was a passionate intensity in his kiss, and Haruhi tried her hardest to keep up with his ministrations. Her hands wove themselves around his neck to steady herself and when he traced her bottom lip with his tongue, she gasped from surprise and he took that opportunity to dive in and taste her. Haruhi had never experienced this kind of kiss before, so she followed his lead, albeit clumsily, and Takashi found her innocence to be a little enticing.

When he felt her grabbed the hair just above his nape, fire spread throughout his being at her slightly possessive touch. Without breaking their contact, he pulled her to him all the way to the floor, sitting her in his lap as his other hand snaked its way around her waist to pull her closer. He could feel her losing her strength from the kiss, but he could also feel her striving stubbornness to keep up with his affections towards her. He found that notion quite endearing, to say the least.

He then pulled away from her, their warm breaths mingling together. He placed his forehead against hers, reveling in the fact that she has responded quite fiercely to his kiss. That was more than a good sign, wasn't it?

" _Haruhi_ …" he murmured her name like a loving caress as he moved to plant a kiss at the side of her neck.

She shuddered, both from the way he said her name and the way he kissed her, "Yes, Senpai?". She let out a mixture of a small yelp and a breathy moan when he nipped her so suddenly, though more than feeling pain, she felt pleasure instead from his actions. Takashi silently took notice of this little revelation and filed it away in his thoughts.

" _Takashi_ ," he reprimanded, and moved to pepper feather-like kisses under her jaw.

"Hmm, what?" His affections were distracting her immensely, she unconsciously grabbed hold onto the front of his sweater when he started nibbling her collarbone.

He towered over her easily even when they were sitting down. He held onto her chin between his thumb and his index finger, silently commanding her to look him in the eyes. Takashi swept the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip, marveling at the plushed feel of her skin under his touch. Haruhi looked back, brown eyes unnerving as she gazed into his ashen pools. There was an emotion that she could not place, swimming within his dark alluring gaze.

"Call me by my given name," he murmured.

It was an order, not a request.

"…T-Taka…shi…" she whispered shyly, feeling flustered all of a sudden.

His eyes narrowed gently in endearment as a small smile filled with affection forming on his lips, when he looked at her. He reached for her hands, grasping them gently in both of his, as he kissed the back of her knuckles; a sign of adoration.

"You are my life now, Haruhi, and I yours," he said quietly, then as an afterthought, he added, "if you would have me."

"…Is it really okay?" she muttered, a little conflicted.

"Yes," he said more firmly and pulled her into his embrace, one hand wrapped around her shoulder, the other snaked its way around her waist. "Who I choose to be with, is completely up to me. My family had already given me their blessings to pursue you. My mother had already requested to see you."

Haruhi suddenly leaned away from him to look at him properly, that last bit had caught her off guard completely. Was he telling the truth or was it just a convenient lie to make her feel better about this relationship between them? But he would never lie to her, no, not _her Takashi_. Even if he did, it would always be about protecting her from any danger, and Haruhi would like to think that his family does not fall in that category. When she saw only truth reflected clearly in his eyes, she instantly buried her face against his chest, chastising herself for ever doubting him.

"But Takashi," she murmured against the fabric of his sweater, her voice slightly muffled, "isn't it too early to… meet your family?"

"We can take our time," he gently replied, "so whenever you're ready, we can go meet them."

She smiled against his sweater, "Okay, I'd like that."

She took a peek at him from below, and Takashi wanted to keep her in his embrace forever because Haruhi had looked so adorable, and he had the urge to kiss her again, but refrained from doing so. They have plenty of time to do everything, there was no need to rush. He brushed the pad of his thumb against the apple of her cheekbone, still slightly disbelieved over the fact that she had chosen him, that she had proclaimed her love to him. Then he briefly saw a glint flashed across her eyes, was that his imagination? Before he could even begin to utter her name and asked her what was wrong, all his thoughts flew out of the window in an instant.

Haruhi had placed a kiss on the underside of his jaw. It was so sudden; he could only look at her in surprise.

Suddenly feeling rather bashful over her own spur-of-the-moment action, she avoided looking into his eyes, and Takashi was having none of that.

He cupped the side of her face with one hand, thus lifting her head to meet his halfway, and crashed their lips together again. He kissed her with fervor, and with a passion so raw, it left Haruhi breathless as she clung on helplessly to the fabric of his sweater. Takashi thought he would have better control than this, but Haruhi, _Haruhi_ unleashed the chains of his restraints so easily, like they were made of the thinnest thread. She made him lose all control and the ironic thing was, she wasn't even aware of it.

He released her with a _pop_ , and Haruhi saw that same emotion she saw earlier, the one she could not place, swimming within the depths of his ashen pools. Only this time, it was more intense than before. Haruhi didn't know why, but she felt goosebumps all over as Takashi stared at her with a heated gaze. She squirmed in his lap, and he let out a hiss, and then all too suddenly, he laid his head on her shoulder, trying in vain to breathe in and out calmly.

"Takashi?" she mumbled his name, and took a peek to see his face placed beside her; his hair tickling her every now and then. Was he alright?

"You really have no idea how much effect you have on me," he muttered so quietly, Haruhi had to strained her ears to hear him properly.

She laughed, oblivious to the fact that he was being extremely serious. "What are you–,"

"I'd lock you up in my room and we'd never come out." His sudden declaration had clamped her mouth shut instantly, giving rise to a foreign feeling that started to spread throughout her body, from within her lower abdomen. "However, I'll court you properly as the heir of the Morinozuka's," he decided, and relief washed over Haruhi.

" _Then, and only then, will I take you completely_ ," he whispered, his tone husky and full of desire for her, and it made her gulped in anticipation of what's to come in their future together.

Haruhi hoped she would be able to handle this otherworldly (wild) side of Takashi easily. But for now, their story was just beginning.

 _Fin._

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 _I was contemplating whether to rate this story as a T or an M. But in the end, I went for a T. I'm sorry if I had kept your hopes up for… something to happen between them. ^^;_


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